Dear Ministry for Children — Oranga Tamariki,

1. Can you please tell me what Act and section of that Act in New Zealand Law that the Ministry of Children is using to force some fathers to share their visits with their children with their ex-wife? I need to know the exact Act and Section of that Act that the Ministry of Children is using to justify this situation.

2. I have an example of this happening and I cannot find any section of our Law which entitles the department to force this situation on the father. Please confirm that you know this is happening? If you do not know it is happening then please state that in your answer you do not know it is happening. If you also believe it would be unlawful then please state that in your answer.

3. Divorce law and practice would suggest that this situation should not be forced on the parents. Please supply at what level of the Ministry of Children this decision is being taken and by whom?

4. If you do not answer this question I will file in the Family Court to have the question answered and your lack of an answer under the OIA will form part of the evidence for that filing.

5. If you refuse the information and there has to be further costs in the Family Court then I will be asking for the Ministry to pay these costs due to their refusal to supply the information required by law in a timely manner.

5. Please supply the number of instances the Ministry of Children knows are being forced into this situation for the Family Court to address as I am sure the Ministry will not want to be acting unlawfully.

Yours faithfully,

Paul King

Dear OIA_Requests (OT), Julie Miller,

In response to your request for specific information regarding a particular case, I must clarify my initial inquiry. I sought general information about the legal basis for a situation where a father, who is an ex-husband, is being compelled to share his visitation time with his children with his ex-wife.

Specifically, I would like to understand which law or regulation mandates this arrangement.

I believe it is unnecessary to provide the specific names of the individuals involved for you to offer the relevant OIA information. Additionally, I am hesitant to disclose any names due to concerns about potential repercussions for the parents involved, as the Ministry of Children has mandated this outcome.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance.

Sincerely,
Paul King
[email address]